A “Super Simple” Petty Set
Jim Lenahan, longtime LD for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, describes the 2012 tour as a “super simple scaled-down look this year. We’re basically turning arenas into a proscenium theatre look with classic red velour swags, legs and travelers.”
Stanley Green, who will again program on this tour, notes some differences this year, including Lenahan’s use of “all hard-edge fixtures and no video behind the band — back to beautiful Old School beams of light!”
Green will control a few robotic cameras on his console, while Lenahan will be able to busk video, lights and cameras on the fly if the band performs a song that hasn’t been programmed. “It will be a lot more simplified,” Green adds.
The band kicks off the tour April 18 in Colorado with a stop at the New Orleans Jazz Fest, and Europe/U.K. June 7-30 with more festival dates along the way.
Lasers Over Austin
There were plenty of great music shows all over Austin during the SXSW (South By Southwest) festival. Literally topping SXSW in a linear way was LD Howard Ungerleider, who, with his PDI team, artistically linked many of the downtown music venues with laser effects.
Envision a multi-colored laser awning spanning the rooftops. “No lasers could be up in the air, because of FAA rules,” Ungerleider said. “So I put mirrors, to bounce the lasers, on lamp posts, parking lots, on cement walls and on hotels. I used full color laser systems, YAG systems and solid state systems. I mapped the downtown entertainment route of SXSW, to define the space,” Ungerleider adds, noting that Brad Spies of SXSW, who brought him in, called the overhead visuals “an amazing canopy of energy.” PDI’s laser crew included Scott Wilson, John Popowycz, Lucas McIntyre and Ryan Waters.
Charice: To Infinity and Beyond
When singer Dionne Warwick took a four-week break, her LD, Debbie Fowler didn’t sit around long. She designed lighting for Charice’s Infinity Tour, which ran March 2-21 in Dubai, Singapore, Indonesia, The Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea. Charice, whose 2010 studio album topped the charts, played the character Sunshine Corazon on TV’s hit series Glee.
Her design for Charice was influenced both by the star’s young age and her mixed repertoire. “I have incorporated LEDs and video walls as well as 36 intelligent fixtures into my design to give the show an up to date look for her young audience,” Fowler says. “However, she has wide appeal as she performed covers of great classic songs in addition to music from her latest CD. Charice is a talented singer with a voice that doesn’t come along often. The shows have been wonderful, and Charice is a real sweetheart to work with.”
Fowler considers herself fortunate to be working steadily with some of music’s living legends. “I have been working with Dionne since 2003, and she always been great to work with in every way. I also light Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. whenever they need me, and I cannot say enough nice things about them. They are just the best! And speaking of the best: this is the first time I have had the chance to work with Marty Hom,” Fowler continues. “He is an absolute pro in every sense of the word. Marty is now out with the Van Halen tour, but he is still involved in taking care of production issues, which is why he has the reputation of being the best in his field. Dan McGee has taken over as the tour manager out here on the road. This is also the first time I have worked with him, and he is great!”
Fowler is no stranger to using local production, and she dealt with the usual challenges with aplomb. “I have gotten varied lighting fixtures and consoles depending upon what was available in each market. Needless to say, the show has looked different in each venue. I composed a rider asking for a black fiber optic drop, a white chiffon and LED walls, in addition to four mesh panels that I carried and hung vertically upstage. The only things that were consistent throughout the tour were the mesh panels that I brought,” she says. “Fortunately, I am used to touring using local production, and it always seems to come together by doors! I had wonderful crews in each city who worked hard to get the gear up and running, and that makes all the difference when time is a major factor. Thanks to Bernard Chew in Jakarta for programming with me all day and night.”
After Charice’s run, Fowler met up with Dionne Warwick and company for a March 24 show in La Mirada, CA, followed by rehearsals in Los Angeles. Warwick is celebrating her 50 years in show business with a 50th anniversary European tour, which includes the Royal Albert Hall and the Liverpool Philharmonic.
Quick Cues…
Beach Boys 50th Anniversary tour is under the design of LD Robert W. Peterson with touring lighting director Chris Stuba, the same creative team from Bob Seger’s recent tour…Art Rich is the production manager for Blake Shelton’s tour, which ended its recent leg March 22. LD Steve Cohen designed it, Jody Marsh is the touring Lighting Director and he’ll be looking after it for the summer festival run… LD Alex Ares spent three weeks in South America with Stone Temple Pilots. Now he’s preparing for Coachella. “Programming and running FOH should be a fun month,” he says…
Get your quick cues (and other news) to Debi Moen at dmoen@plsn.com.
